Black screen says it's in Power Save Mode

Not sure whether this should be under Windows or elsewhere.

When my wife tried to log in to her Vista PC this morning the monitor showed only a black screen and an orange light rather than green. Rebooting produced the same result. Thinking that the monitor has developed the same problem as mine, namely the need to allow the monitor about 5 minutes to warm up before switching on the PC, I tried that a few times without success.

At that stage I thought she needed a new monitor, but I tried pressing the buttons on the front of the monitor. Each gave the same message about being in Power Save Mode and to press the power switch, any key on the keyboard, or move the mouse. None of these had any effect.

Connecting my monitor to her PC gave the same result, and hers worked fine on my XP machine.

So, as there is nothing wrong with her monitor, the problem must be Power Save Mode on the PC. But with only a black screen how does one cancel it? Or will it revert to normal after a more lengthy period of being switched off, such as by tomorrow?

Do you have USB or PS/2 keyboard and mouse? If USB, then there could be a USB problem preventing your keyboard and mouse from working.

Is there any activity at all? Any noise coming from the computer, such as hard drive activity or cooling fans? Any lights lit up or flickering, other than the monitor light? If not, you probably have a dead power supply. Or maybe the fuse in the power supply needs replacing. Either that, or someone opened up your case and unplugged some cables.

There are plenty of lights, the green one on the actual computer, orange on the monitor, lots on the keyboard relating to the music centre, or whatever it is, which my wife has never used, not knowing how, and of course there is the message about Power Save Mode when any of the monitor buttons are pressed.

A new fuse seems unlikely, as it's possible to hear a disk and/or fan spinning in the cabinet. I don't think I've ever opened that PC, and my wife wouldn't even try.

This seems to leave either a dead hard drive - but does the Power Save Mode message come from the PC or the monitor? - or the keyboard or mouse which have USB connections. I've no idea what to do in this case, apart from switching them to different sockets,so it presumably means a new PC.

That is a bind, as I intend to replace my ancient XP machine as soon as the London Film Festival ends in a month's time, and I could do without having to set up another one before then.

But thanks for your help.

PS I would try my keyboard on the other PC, but unfortunately it doesn't have USB connections.

There are plenty of lights, the green one on the actual computer, orange on the monitor
But thanks for your help.

Hi George,

Sounds like something other than "Power Saver Mode" is the problem ...More likely a bad Power Supply or Graphics card ( if there is one) If you have a spare Power Supply try to swap it out . Or another thing would be to use a DVM (digital volt meter ) to check the PC's voltages ,as a first step . A bad HD would at least try to boot ...you would at least see the BIOS screen.... Regards Fred

PlainFred

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free (J. W. Von Goethe)

No idea whether there's a graphics card. Is Power Supply something in the box, or are you referring to the power socket on the wall? If the former there is no spare, and if the latter that is unlikely to be the cause, as both PCs, printer and router are all on the upstairs circuit and everything else is OK. Downstairs the TV, cooker, fridge and freezer are all working.

I could buy a volt meter somewhere, but would I know what it was telling me?

The easiest step seems to be a get a new battery for the PC, and if that's not the problem, take it to a repair shop. My previous experience with the shop round the corner has destroyed my faith in repair shops, and lugging the PC AND the monitor on a bus is not something to look forward to. But there seems to be no alternative.

No idea whether there's a graphics card. Is Power Supply something in the box, or are you referring to the power socket on the wall? I

I could buy a volt meter somewhere, but would I know what it was telling me?

Hi George,

Some PC's have a separate Graphics Card plugged into a PCI slot on the mother board...others have the graphics function built into it .The Power Supply is part of your PC, it is a modular device that can be switched out . A DVM (digital volt meter ) could tell you if all the PC's voltages were OK , but you would need to know the mother board layout.( Google PC mfgr ) Regards Fred

PlainFred

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free (J. W. Von Goethe)

A new battery made no difference, so I took it to a repair shop. Turned out to be the graphics card, as previously suggested. I was given a choice, replace the Nvidia card for £90 or use the built in graphics for £30. Told that the Nvidia was needed only for gaming, and neither my wife or I play games it was a no brainer. So the cost was much less than expected and my wife is happy.